Pitman Bakery in South Jersey shuts doors after 44 years

The Pitman Bakery, located on South Broadway in downtown Pitman, has closed after 44 years of business.(Staff Photo taken by Britney Lillya/South Jersey Times)

PITMAN — After 44 years of serving area residents some of their favorites pastries and cakes, the community staple Pitman Bakery closed this week.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the South Broadway bakery announced that, after more than four decades of service to local residents, the owners had decided to retire from the confectionery business.

Opened in 1968, the bakery had become a long-running hot spot in town for both residents and visitors to stop in and grab some of South Jersey’s best pastries.

“On behalf of the entire Pitman Bakery staff and family, we say thank you for 44 blessed and wonderful years,” the post said. “We hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday.”

And, as residents walked by shop windows on Friday, they started to realize what Pitman would be like without their favorite pastry shop to go to any time they wanted a cream-filled doughnut or a special birthday cake.

Sharon Ham stopped in shock on learning the news as she walked past the store Friday afternoon.

For years, the Pitman resident had frequented the shop famous for a special cream icing on their doughnuts. Ham said she couldn’t even think of an alternative to the downtown bakery.

“You can go to Dunkin Donuts, but it’s not the same,” Ham observed.

And besides, “I would always see people here. I know people who moved out of state but would make it a point to stop by and get their doughnuts,” added Ham. “It’s a part of Pitman.”

Lee Anne Norris of Elk Township had actually stopped by the store to order a birthday cake for her daughter this weekend.

Norris was originally a Pitman resident, she said, but she continued to patronize the Pitman Bakery because of its great birthday cakes.

“We come here every time there’s a birthday,” she said. “You should’ve seen my daughter’s cake this one year. It looked like it should’ve been in a magazine.”

And, as she sat in her car contemplating where she would go for this year’s cake, she simply said “No way” to the idea of going to a larger chain store.

For those worried about not having a hometown bakery to supply their doughnuts, pastries and cakes, there is some hope. The site’s LandWatch online listing says that all the equipment and recipes are included for anyone interested in buying the property.